A Heart's Sonata
by Virdis Drachen
Summary: Leon has convinced himself that the music he once knew wouldn't mean anything to him if he couldn't hear it...he thought wrong. AU, a drabble of sorts. One-shot inspired by Your Lie In April (Story has been re-made into a chaptered Fic)


**A/n: I've been having this idea of Leon as a pianist, I've seen other people portray him as such as well (guess the piano suits him, lol). A friend of mine recommended me to watch 'Your Lie In April' (anime that I watched in two days) and well...THIS popped into my head, I just HAD to get it outta my system. I had some trouble trying to write this little piece but I hope it came out well.**

 **Been thinking on some ideas, and I will most probably re-write this and make it into a chapter fic.**

 **I had originally intended to specify the song Cloud would be playing buuutttt, I thought it could be more interesting if you guys imagined it with whatever song you like. If not, here are the songs that I listened to the most as I wrote:**

 **\- Bond/Fate: Elise and Sakura's theme from Fire Emblem Fates**

 **\- Sentimental Rain: Your lie in april**

 **-Kreutzer: Violin Sonata No.9 (Beethoven)**

 **\- Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso: Camille Saint-Saens**

 **Anyways, hope you enjoy, and leave some feedback if you can please.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters here. No profit is made.**

* * *

 **A Heart's Sonata:**

Lights. The smell of freshly clean carpet. The frigid air wafting with anticipation….yes, everything was as seventeen year old Leon remembered…The way the lights played across the polished wooden floor, casting shadows throughout the rest of the theatre. The red curtains that gave the stage a touch of elegance…everything.

 _'How long has it been?'_ he wondered as he sat on a chair, in a row close to the stage, looking up at the lights. The whole scenery made his heart swarm with nostalgia and…longing. Somewhere in the recesses of his mind the soft music played…violins…pianos…flutes…He would always deny it…the nostalgia…how much he missed it, a dark part of him that every single day would tell him that he had buried that past for good…the voices of uncertainty and sorrow would sneer that he was no longer capable of such a wonderful thing…every single day, since that horrific day…

The memory of the sudden, violent and sharp screeching of tires…fear…pain …darkness…the last time he heard the screaming of his name…and then silence…a silence that had robbed him of things he enjoyed…his passion… things that composed most of what he was…that dreadful, perpetual silence that has become his world now. Leon felt a sickening stab run through his heart, his eyes narrowed, still directed at the lights above him…

 _'Why the hell did I agree to come again?'_ he spitefully tried to remind himself.

 _'masochist much?'_ he scoffed inwardly. Leon couldn't honestly understand what had made him come…he no longer played music…he couldn't even hear it anymore, let alone appreciate it, so…why was he here again? here, in this random recital of people he didn't even know or care about…right, Yuffie had practically dragged him here…Yuffie and some new friends of hers whose close friend was going to perform…or something like that. Or at least, that's what he wanted to believe, that he, of all people, was being **forced** to be there…it wasn't the musician in him asking, begging to go, no…not at all. Honestly what did he expect to do there? Go through the whole thing by just imagining the sounds? That was not enough for him; he whom had stood on that stage countless times ever since he was a child. He whom once captivated audiences with the symphonies that he would pour his very self into…

 _'I shouldn't_ _ **be**_ _here….this is ridiculous'_ he closed his eyes while sharply lowering his head to look at the clenching trembling fists that rested on his knees. An ephemeral image of himself splaying graceful fingers across a keyboard flashed behind his closed eyelids…distant melodies playing on the back of his head; familiar, yet so vague and devoid of emotion. Leon's heart twisted uncomfortably, he gritted his teeth in a pain that shadowed his heart. He wanted to scream and to bolt out of the place, but another part of him, which he was considering it was a masochistic one, kept him firmly in place. Hence why, he started debating within himself. Leon felt someone slump on the chair to his right along with a light slap on his shoulder. Leon got startled out of his mental debate and looked up to see Yuffie.

 _"Hey! Thanks a lot for waiting for us"_ she signed with her hands in quick movements and a pout to emphasize her exasperation

 _"I told you I was going to get seats…"_ Leon responded back with a light scowl as he noticed Zack and Tifa sitting down beside Yuffie.

"Hey Yuffie, tell him thank you for coming" Zack said while extending a hand towards him in greeting

"Yea, and thank you for convincing him. I'm sure Cloud will be thrilled to meet him!" Tifa added waving at Leon

"Sure! No prob" Yuffie turned to Leon and translated Zack and Tifa's gratitude, then Leon shook Zack's hand and gave Tifa a nod, but still bore a serious expression.

 _'That's right…Cloud'_ he suddenly remembered the reason why he had come here; Yuffie had told him that Zack and Tifa's best friend was an aspiring violinist and was apparently an admirer of Leon's music and had always wanted to meet him personally. At first they just wanted Leon to meet Cloud **after** the recital, Leon was going to decline simply because he didn't play the piano anymore and did not want to disappoint someone who still had a chance…unlike him. However he couldn't help but feel curious…When he found himself face to face with the familiar medium sized theater, he couldn't help it, before he could stop himself he had already been inside with a thrilled Yuffie, Zack and Tifa. It had been too late to turn back. No matter how hard he tried to deny it or blame on Yuffie and even Zack's persistence, Leon was aware that it was really his own nostalgia that had brought him here today.

"I hope he does all right….he was a nervous wreck" Tifa said worriedly taking a deep breath while crossing her arms over her chest.

"Don't worry Tif, he'll do great! I have faith in our little Spike" Zack re-assured even though he himself was feeling nervous for his friend

"Yeah we're rooting for him!" Yuffie added, then turned to Leon and told him that Cloud was a shy person and that Tifa and Zack were worried. Leon scoffed inwardly; he could relate, there was a time where he got the very same way. However, he would be caught dead before he would admit such a thing.

Shortly after the recital started, according to the pamphlet, Cloud was performer no.6. Leon silently sighed in annoyance. To him it was strange enough that a deaf person was attending a music recital, let alone the fact that he was now the one sitting on the audience…But when he really came down to it, he thought he had nothing to lose…not anymore anyways. The teen spent reading the pamphlet over and over again, only lifting his gaze every so often; each time a performer would come to the stage Yuffie would tell Leon which song they would be performing, even though the pamphlet was very clear on each of the performer's names and what would they be performing. He paid her no mind though, she was just excited like she would get with anything.

Although most of the performer's were very skilled,( if how the audience was responding was anything to go by) to Leon, they lacked emotion. Leon had always had a sharp eyesight, and had now only been doubled ever since he lost his hearing and most of the songs, if not all, that were listed he knew them by heart. Whenever he watched, his mind would replay the songs in his head, or at least try, it wasn't really the same due to the variety of instruments and depending on how skilled the musician was. Yet despite all of the above, there was one thing Leon was judging; their emotion, what they transferred to the audience. The people would applaud and cheer for them, sure, but in Leon's book, most of the performers so far had lacked any real emotion or passion, most probably because of the pressure of turning in a 'perfect' performance. The brunette teen was growing bored and perhaps even a little irritated. He had been leaning his head on one of his fisted hands, while he anxiously scratched the arm rest with the pointer finger of his other hand. With his eyes closed he was contemplating the possibility of getting up and leave once again, and it was only becoming stronger.

He felt someone shake him abruptly, his eyes shot open and from the corner of his eye he saw it had been Zack, whom nodded towards the stage. When the former pianist turned his gaze towards it he saw a teenage boy walking towards the center of the stage with a violin in hand. The teen must be around Leon's age, probably a bit younger. Milky white skin that gave an almost ethereal glow under the golden lights, the golden spikes that adorned his head bounced lightly to the rhythm of his steady, short steps. Leon recognized him immediately from the picture shown in the pamphlet and he admitted to himself; Cloud was rather handsome. The way the charcoal gray slim fit tuxedo perfectly framed the lithe body, brought out the young man's broad shoulders giving him a refined and elegant posture. The matching gray plated pants were the perfect happy medium between too lose or too tight, the well polished black shoes shone and lightly clacked against the wooden stage. Before he could catch himself, Leon was in awe.

Cloud took center stage, faced the audience and took a bow, greeting them, then stood up straight again. Being on one of the rows near the stage, Leon noted the slight shake on Cloud's arms, the bob of his Adam's apple when he swallowed hard, noted when a single drop of sweat ran down slightly pink cheeks and down a smooth refined chin; his mesmerizing sky blue eyes searching for something on the audience. Leon wondered what it was, his answer came soon enough when he saw Zack and Tifa give a strong nod of encouragement while looking at Cloud. It was then, that Cloud took a deep breath, closed his eyes, placed his violin between shoulder and chin and placed the bow in place…

As soon as Cloud stroke down the bow across the strings, something in Leon stirred…the stuffy, conflicted, uncomfortable ambience around him was chased away. Like the songs before, this one, he knew too, and it was one of his favorites. The beginning of the song was a bit slow, with the proverbial 'grace of a swan', Cloud brought his bow down with a gentle stroke, and then back up with the same tenderness then repeated his action, adding a few notes as he brought his bow back up, as the song sped up a little. Not really wanting to take his eyes off Cloud for too long, Leon stole a quick glance at the people around him; everyone seemed just as mesmerized as he was. Some were slightly leaning forward with parted lips and eyes locked in trance, while others were relaxed on their chairs, but the equally as tranced expressions on their faces. Zack was tense, slightly leant forward, frowning in concentration, presumably hoping the best and feeling nervous for his friend. Tifa slowly swayed her hands with the music, probably the result of spending countless hours helping Cloud rehearse. Yuffie had her hands clasped together in absolute wonder and excitement.

Leon paid close attention to each of Cloud's movements; how the blonde teen's eyes would shift between a half lidded gaze and closed eyes, while blonde eyebrows knit together in deep concentration in notes that Leon remembered were tricky, how Cloud would moderately throw his head back and then would slightly bend forward, or would then gently sway with the melody. Leon was captivated by the violinist. Indeed Cloud had walked in shy and looking he was about to break under the pressure, but the moment he started playing he changed almost as if he was another person. Some strokes were gentle and graceful, lulling waves soothing the ambience, while other strokes were accurate and fierce, and it was these strokes that affected Leon the most. In a way he couldn't really pinpoint, each time he saw Cloud do one of these strokes, the feeling in them would go through Leon like blades, he would feel his heart thump with a fiery passion he thought dead, and a sense of challenge would wash upon him.

The former pianist barely noticed when he sat, quite literally, at the edge of his seat gripping the edge of the arm rest so hard his arms were quivering, or was that because of the sudden adrenaline that was rising in him?. At some point, that Leon had failed to notice, the scarred teen's mind had become enveloped with the dulcet tones Cloud was playing. It was not just the vague memory, or a tune that sounded distant and void…no, it was a genuine sound; vibrant, resounding, elegant and very much alive…almost as if he could hear it…he _was_ hearing it, with his heart, with his soul, with his very essence as a musician. Not once, had this happened since he lost his hearing, Leon had tried many times but sometimes not even the memories would come to him. Each tone perfectly synced with Cloud's movements, were like a fan that blew the fire in Leon's soul. What was a very small flame, was now turning into a raging inferno that was consuming him, his heart was swelling with desire…that feeling of longing ensnared his very being. An image of his hands gracefully gliding to the rhythm of music, the feeling on his fingers accurately pressing down milky keys, how his body would give in to the flow and he would pour out whatever essence made him on the inside. Just like the crescendo on Cloud's piece, it all came back to him, that part of him that had never really left stirred and screamed to be set free once more. The feelings peaking as if in tune with how Cloud slightly arched his back on the last high notes, his fingers rapidly pressing on the cords, and his bow creating the last beautiful notes that sent chills down Leon's spine and made his inside tingle with the vibrations.

In one last abrupt but accurate and masterfully played tune, Cloud brought his bow down and extended it to his side, while throwing his head back in the momentum. Just like that, it was over, Leon was left with that initial feeling of silent awe, his eyes wide and lips parted. Cloud had to give himself a few moments to gather the breaths he had been holding in, panting as beads of sweat ran down his face, the blurry haze from his eyes shifting under the glow of the ceiling lights. Both his temples and chest were hammering with contained nervousness, he remembered what Zack and Tifa had told him; 'just breathe' and so he did. He lowered his violin and bow to each side and took a bow closing his eyes and immediately his legs started to tremble, honestly feeling like if he was about to faint.

It took the audience a short moment to get past their trance, then one clap and then another. The clapping was scattered at first, until they then began to crescendo into an inciting uproar. Cloud first shot his head up, his features engraved with disbelief and shock, before he stood up straight once again. People standing up on their feet here and there, Zack whistled and clapped loudly, Tifa and Yuffie cheered, Yuffie jumping up and down while she was at it. Leon would have clapped and stood up, but the rapturous fascination and tempestuous emotions that Cloud and his silent violin had washed over him, kept him glued to his seat.

Leon wondered, how someone that was a stranger to him had been able to convey so much. How did his world of silence had suddenly burst into an orchestra of rediscovered passion. Why did he see himself in Cloud in the way he had played from the heart. Despite his deafness, the former pianist wanted nothing more than to hear those melodies once again, he wanted more, he almost felt like jumping in front a piano and loose himself in its keys once again.

It was at that moment he noticed; he wanted to meet and know more about Cloud, he actually wanted to play alongside Cloud. Though Leon couldn't really understand why, but he felt as if Cloud had stroked the proverbial cords of his heart, with the very same passion he had stroke that violin. The initial anger and reluctance he had felt on coming to the recital, were completely gone. All this time Leon had convinced himself that the music he once knew wouldn't mean anything to him if he couldn't hear it. But he had forgotten that the heart could too, have ears, he had forgotten that he had believed that once.

 _'Cloud Strife the violinist_ …' with a small smile to himself and a silent gratitude, he looked forward to meeting him once the recital was over.


End file.
